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I have now lived in San Francisco for a week. I am getting up to speed with the politics du jour and this is not easy when you have five children, are trying to find a place to live and have other important issues to consider: Is botox, bottle-feeding and gun ownership morally wrong or is this just ‘Small Nation Envy’ brainwashing we don along with our Doc Martens as early as the High School years. More on other first impressions of my new home at a later stage.

Background to the fight for the GOP Presidential Candidate Nomination and Mitt Vs Rick:

As part of my husbands’ relocation package we have been set up with an agent who spent most of last week driving us around neighbourhoods we might be interested in settling in – within San Francisco and the greater area known as the Bay Area. His job is to provide us with the necessary information to make an easy transition stateside; he holds our hands as we open bank accounts, apply for a Social Security number and last week I jumped in his SUV for a tour around San Francisco proper.

The easy laconic Jim would definitely vote Labour if he was a New Zealander. His derision of the Republicans was evident. The GOP is in a similar state of disarray as NZ Labour prior to the last election. Lots of long shot possibilities for leadership; GOP’s Romney as Labour’s “Anyone But Cunliffe” candidate. The republicans are also failing to find a new trajectory that resonates with the public after the rejection of the “Corrupt, Big Boi, Big Money, Sheriff of the World guise that was rejected in the dismissal of the former republican administration. Similarly NZ grew impatient with Labour as the “Micromanaging, level the playing field thereby enabling the behavior of the lowest common denominator”, Party.

Jim does not have the benefit of hindsight of the dangers of a long-term left-wing party and he waxed lyrical about New Zealand. He talked about how he used to recite the Pledge in school and held nationalistic pride but,” America ¬†took the wrong turn”.I find the parallels to the NZ political scenario fascinating, and like Labour’s recent defeat, it may be another term before the GOP has an inside chance of walking into the White House.

The two candidates most likely to be nominated are 2008’s unsuccessful nominee Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. I believe Romney will become the nominee due to his message being the best articulated. This is:“If people want someone to turn America into Europe they can vote for Obama”.

Both men face the perils of foot in mouth disease. Santorum is regarded as a gay hating bigot due to past quotes regarding gay marriage. ¬†In an increasingly liberal world this will be enough to scuttle his bid for the White House.¬†Our guide Jim said he was a complette nutter; from investigation this does not seem to be evident. I would call Santorum compassionate but very much a conservative. ¬†His and Bachmanns biggest faults would seem to be that they have a large family and this makes them easy targets. Liberals are uncomfortable with large families as they are reminiscent of a more conservative era. I take exception to this and think it is particularly antifeminist that some of the most successful woman politicians on my horizon are the sparse breeding variety. Not that I don’t admire these women wholeheartedly.

Mitt Romney’s enemies are sharpening their knives over Romney’s “I like being able to fire people”comments:

Spirit Levelers and the Occupy movement would have you believe that inequity is the the result of untrammeled corporate raiders and unsympathetic right wing governments. The nebulous, “bad rich people”.

The evidence is mounting that inequity is as simple as the start to life. Toxic stress (substance abuse, poor nutrition, relationship and financial stress ) in utero and infancy is well documented to effect development and health outcomes ¬†across a lifespan: From the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP):

The social network has changed in the last half century from being church and community focused to a focus on the individual and work. The development of a new social network around the early childhood ¬†years makes sense. Change negative outcomes by empowering communities and individuals to help themselves. Severely limit benefits after 6 months (or 18 months after the birth of a child) but fully fund food banks and parenting programmes that deliver educational qualifications so just by virtue of being a dedicated Mom or Dad you can have a career in some facet of ECE. ¬†Benefits breed victimhood and an angry abusive underclass. However utilising the childhood years to empower communities ¬†may create job and volunteering opportunities for all.

The second of the two men that she didn’t shoot dead is facing serious charges. Obviously the attempted home invasion was no innocent lark, I suspect the Mama Bear instincts were on full alert and Ms McKinley followed the practice of shoot and ask questions later.Great photo. That’s what kids should mean to their parents. You don’t see photos like that in NZ media circles. We have a child abuse epidemic where mothers fail in their duty of being the first line of defense. It would be good to see the circulation of strong parental images. Not necessarily with a related body count, but needs must.No matter what else is going on around you, the protection of our children must come first. Anything else makes us inferior primates.On a practical note: In a new environment I always check out the possible hazards. I discuss these with my Loin-Fruit. The eldest are made aware of slippery surfaces and fire escape routes. Hosts sometimes think I am strange but I routinely insist on of a fire escape plan. The chances of finding yourself in a house-fire or an earthquake zone in New Zealand are higher than winning lotto; either way I don’t gamble.